


Beautiful Stranger

by peppermintquartz



Series: Beautiful Stranger [1]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Artist Finn, Clumsy Finn, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 20:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16750924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintquartz/pseuds/peppermintquartz
Summary: “Hi, excuse me, may I sit here?”Finn looks up from his sketching to see who just spoke to him, and his heart jumps into his throat.





	Beautiful Stranger

“Hi, excuse me, may I sit here?”

Finn looks up from his sketching to see who just spoke to him, and his heart jumps into his throat. 

 _You’re beautiful,_  he thinks, staring at the doe-eyed stranger in the gray wool beanie, gray scarf, and a black jacket. Thankfully his mouth doesn’t betray him and blurt that out. “Uh. Sure.”

“Thanks,” says Beautiful Stranger. He has a beard that looks soft and there’s a slight... midwestern accent? Finn’s not too good at American accents yet.

Beautiful Stranger unwinds his scarf and removes his beanie. Under his jacket is a navy henley. He has a striking profile, and dark curling tendrils of hair escapes his messy bun. Finn quickly returns his gaze to his work before he’s caught staring. He’s doodling nonsense and quickly scribbles it out - he really needs to focus. The coffee shop is packed. Finn has a seat only because he’s been here the moment it opened, and also because Bayley is his best friend and reserved a table for him once he texted her that morning with a rant. He’s supposed to submit his designs for their new client - Bayley’s college friend, actually - but he has hit a major creative wall. 

“Ugh,” he mutters under his breath, and flips the page. 

Across the table, Beautiful Stranger is busy texting.  _He has nice fingers,_ Finn notes, and then bites the inside of his cheek.  _Concentrate, dammit._

Bayley chooses to come over to top up his tea. “How’s it going?”

“Hey babe,” says Finn. “I don’t know. What do you think?” He shows her what he’s done so far. Bayley knows Sasha better than Finn does, after all.

She wrinkles her nose. “Mm. I don’t know. She’ll want something bolder, I think.”

Finn groans again and lets his head thunk on the table. 

Bayley pets him on the head. “Keep going, babe. I’m sure you’ll get there.”

“Thanks.”

Finn thumps his forehead against a table another two, three times, and then he hears Beautiful Stranger say with a laugh, “Hey, you’re gonna spill my coffee, man.”

 _Shit. I am a dumbass._  Sitting up in his chair, Finn quickly apologizes. “Just trying to bash through artist block, sorry.”

“No harm done.” Beautiful Stranger sets aside his phone. “Your girlfriend makes really good coffee. I’ve just moved in down the block like a month ago and I’ve been here at least twenty times. First time I’ve seen you though, but I usually come in only after lunch.”

“Bayley’s not my girlfriend,” Finn blurts out. His cheeks go red. Curse his fair Irish skin. “She’s my best friend. I'm gay. And uh, I-I usually work from home, and yeah, she makes great coffee, and I’ll tell her you said so, and um, she lets me use this table when I need to have white noise around me because I invested in her shop and.” He bites his cheek again and squeezes his eyes shut. That was the  _worst_  ramble he has ever let slip from his mouth, and that includes the time he went on a date with Sami and talked about the artistry of Legos.

When he glances at Beautiful Stranger, the other man is grinning but not in a mean way. Finn manages a small, pathetic smile. Beautiful Stranger says, “Well, I’m glad you invested in this place because I now have great coffee anytime I want some. Please do tell her that too.”

Beautiful Stranger sips his coffee and licks the milky foam from his lips. Finn knows his cheeks are flushed, and thanks the Lord that he is already red from mortification so Beautiful Stranger won’t see that Finn is seriously considering asking for his number.

Finn reaches for his tea, but knocks his sketchbook off the table. The loose leaves stuck in the book scatter all over the floor. “Oh shit!”

“Alright, everyone around here, don’t move, let me get - thank you - oh, oh, careful, don’t step on that-” Beautiful Stranger helps to keep the other customers from trampling on the papers and picks up the drawings.

Finn gathers the pages. Nothing is going right for him. “Thank you. It’s really... It’s that sort of day for me, I think.”

“Been there, man.” Beautiful Stranger returns the handful of drawings to Finn. “All of these are yours?”

 _Oh no. He’s gonna say it._  Finn smiles, tight and uncomfortable. “Yeah.”

“You’re really good. How long have you been drawing?” the other man asks. Something ugly and tense in Finn’s chest unwinds and his smile widens despite himself. Beautiful Stranger looks at him curiously. “What? What did I say?”

“Nah. Most times people say I’m talented.”

“Talent is nothing without hard work,” says Beautiful Stranger. “You must’ve worked your ass off to get that good.” 

Finn feels like he’s finally found someone who  _gets_  it. Gods, no one else has ever got it until he explains to them. He is summoning up his courage to ask for his name and thank him, when Beautiful Stranger’s phone rings and he picks it up.

“Yeah, hey. Really? Godammit. Yeah I’m coming right now.” Beautiful Stranger pushes up his sleeve and checks his watch. Finn’s mouth goes dry when he notices the strong wrist and the hint of dark hair on his arm. Beautiful Stranger finishes his coffee, still on his phone, somehow managing to wind his scarf around him and tug on his beanie with one hand before he leaves with a smile and nod at Finn.

Finn’s shoulders sag and he sighs. Just his luck. He picks up his pencil and returns to his sketchbook.

At the end of the hour, he has only drawn one logo design and covered three pages with sketches of Beautiful Stranger.

“Wow, he really made an impression, huh.” Bayley sets down a chicken salad in front of him. 

“I suck.” Finn pokes dejectedly at the salad. “I didn’t even get his name.”

Bayley hugs him around the shoulders and shakes him lightly. “Come on. Finish your lunch and go to your appointment with Sasha. Maybe she’ll like something you’ve done, or you guys can pick out one of those you have to improve.”

Finn sighs again and eats his lunch. The way his luck is today, he probably will lose the commission.

Still, when he gets to Sasha’s new gym, he tries to put on a brave front. She’s a determined, ambitious young woman, and he wants to do what he can to support her. If she doesn’t like his designs, at least he’s given her a direction in choosing what she will eventually use.

After he goes in, however, he freezes at the entrance. Beautiful Stranger is there, talking to Sasha who is in her workout gear, only now he isn’t wearing his jacket or henley, but a tee shirt and compression pants. 

 _Holy Mother of Christ, his thighs are so thick,_  Finn thinks, and then clears his throat guiltily.

Sasha sees him. “Finn! You’re early. Hey, Seth, this is the graphics designer I was telling you about, Finn Balor. He’s doing designs for the towels and bottles and all that. Take a look at his stuff. Bet the guy you met is nowhere near his skills.”

 _Beautiful Stranger is here. Beautiful Stranger has a name._ “Hi. Um. Finn Balor. Which Sasha just said.”  _Oh my god. Someone shoot me._

“Hey,” says the other man, reaching out to shake Finn’s hand. His grip is very firm, and his hand warm and comforting. “Seth Rollins. I’m gonna be a trainer here. Small world, huh.”

Finn grins. “Yeah. Small world.”


End file.
